Metalworking



J. R. coE:

METALWORKING July 6, 1937.

Fil ed Dec. 30, 1933 s Sheets-sheaf 1' INVENTOR .Tames -R. Coe

jar-a I V l- MM 3 A fironm-zvs July 6, 1937.

J. R. COE 4 METALWORKING Filed Dec. 30, 1953 f 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 fumes A.(be.

DTTORNEYS.

July 6, J. R. COE

METALWORKING i Filed Dec. 30, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 |||H||Jllllllllllllll INVENTOR James A? (be.

Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES METALWORKHWG James R. Coc,Water-town, Conn.,' assignor to The American Brass Company, Waterbury,Com, a corporation of Connecticut Application December 30, 1933, SerialNo. 704,509

16 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for working metal,particularly to apparatus for reducing the cross-sectional area of metalstock by a step-by-step process whereby 5 the metal may be worked coldwith the least possible injury to its internal structure. The apparatusis especially adapted for the cold working of metal and will reducestock of almost any known commercially workable metals to. any ex- 10tent desired without the necessity of annealing for further working andwithout undue strain upon the metal. The object of the invention is theprovision of improved apparatus of the class described. In particular itis an aim to provide for reducing by concentric rather than eccentricreducing rolls whereby machining of the rolls is simplified; to providea fixed rather than a travelling backing structure for the rolls wherebygreater strength may be obtained and lighter reciprocating partsemployed; to provide improved stock guiding means; to provide improvedstock feeding means; to provide improved roll shapes whereby when flatstock is reduced the edges will be preserved; to provide improvedmechanism for operating and coordinatingthe movements of the rolls; andto provide a simple and eflicient machine as a whole.

In order to illustrate the principles of the invention an exemplaryembodiment thereof will be 30 described with reference to theaccompanying drawings thereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation of apparatus embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section through thereducingdevices taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4;

. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on theline 3-3 of Fig. 4;

40 the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; 1

'Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on v the line 55 of Fig.2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectionon the line l'| of Fig. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention flat sheet stock S isbeing reduced to a thinner sheet S2 but other types of stock may bereduced by changing the working rolls and other elements of the machineas may be appropriate. The stock is reduced by a set of spaced reducingrolls l which are mounted by their journals II in the ends ofreciprocating drive rods l2. There mm be a pair of rods l2 for each rollto engage Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the journalsat the opposite ends of the roll. The rods are driven by crosshead pinsI 3 carried by a crosshead It provided with guide rollers l operatingalong guides IS. The crosshead. I4 is actuated by crank rods [1 whichare driven 5 j by cranks I8. The cranks are carried by crank discs l9mounted upon crank shaft 20. The shafts 20 are geared together and aredriven by a power shaft'2l which is geared to one of them.

' The working or reducing rolls I flare circular in cross section butmay have any desired shape in axial section. They are in contact withbacking rolls 22, also carried by the rods l2, which roll upon and bearagainst the backing plates 23. The

rolls 22 are provided with journals 24 which operate in bearingsformedin the ends of rods II. The backing plates 23 are secured to aheavy frame 25. The frame 25 being stationary, may be made as heavy andstrong as desired, whereas if it were reciprocated the inertia of excess2 weight would have to be taken into consideration. The backing plates23 may have any longitudinal contour desired and this contour determinesthe path of movement of the working rolls. Herein the plates are formedwith converging or 25 tapered portions 26 and if desired may haveparallel portions, not shown. The stock S in Fig. 2 is seen to have acorresponding tapered section SI where it is being reduced and astraight portion S2 where it has been finished.

At each end the rolls III are provided with gears 21 which mesh with thegears 23 of the backing rolls 22, which'latter gears are in mesh withthe fixed racks 29. These racks have-a longitudinal contour parallelingthat of the backing plates 23 so-that the gears will remain in contactwith the racks while the backing rolls remain in contact with thebacking plates. The-two working rolls although adjacent to each otherare not geared together since they advance toward 0 and recede from eachother. making the use of such gearing impractical. They are keptsynchronized, however, by the rods l2 and the fixed racks 29.

The backing rolls 22 are provided with journal I Exit guides including apair of plates 34, 35

and guide pins 36 are pressed down upon the stock by coil springs 31.One of the plates (the lower) is anchored to the frame as shown in Fig.2. Intermediately in the vicinity of the rolls the stock is guided by aplurality of sliding bars 38 mounted at their ends in slots 39 formed inthe fixed frame 25. The slots have approximately the same longitudinalcontour as the backing plates 23 insofar as they are coextensivetherewith and are parallel therebeyond. In short, the slots haveapproximately the same contour as the stock but are open sufficiently toallow increments of stock to be fed. The bars 38 are operated by partson the front ends of the rods 12 and by an end bar which is connected tothe rods I 2 by links 40. The plates 34, 35, being resiliently pressedagainst the stock at all times, assist in controlling its feed bypreventing it from moving too far by inertia and also prevent itsdisplacement when the rolls have moved clear of it near the end of thestroke but while the friction guide bars 38 are in engagement with itand are still moving.

When flat sheet stock is reduced it tends to spread out on the sidesalong the parallelfaces of the sheet. With heavy reductions theconcavity at the sides may become pronounced and the sharp longitudinaledges thus produced are objectionable. To remedy this, the rolls arebeveled outwardly at each end, as shown at 41 in Fig. 4, where they workon the edges of the stock to keep the sharp edges from forming and tosome extent to prevent the formation of concavities along the sides ofthe strip.

Means are provided for feeding the stock in successive relatively shortincrements between reductions and after the rolls have been returned tothe rear end of their stroke. This means, as shown in Fig. 1, comprisesa ram 43 operated by a piston 44 within a feed cylinder 45. The pistonis actuated in the feeding directionunder a constant resilient force asby a gas under pressure and this is opposed by a non-resilient force asby a liquid in confinement. Herein the front end of the cylinder isfilled with water which is admitted by a pipe 46 from a supply tank 41,the pipe being provided with a check valve 48 to trap the water in thecylinder. Air under pressure is admitted to the rear end of the cylinderby way of a pipe 49 and a four-way valve 50 from a supply pipe 5|. Whenair is admitted to the cylinder 45 the top of the tank 41 is connectedto the atmosphere by way of a pipe chine; As illustrated, the valve 56is formed as a poppet valvewhich is operated by a cam lever 51. Thelever 5'! is pivoted at 58 at one end and at the other end is providedwith a camroller 59 operating upon a cam 60. The cam is secured to a camshaft 6| driven from the main driveshaft 2| through gears 62 and 63. Theamount of water released, 1. e. the amount of feedin is controlled by aneedle valve 64 located in the pipe system 54, 55.

If additional water is required it is supplied to the tank 41 by aninlet pipe 65 provided with a hand valve 66.

After the piston 44 has moved the stock forward to the point where a newlength of stock is required, it is returned toward the rear end of thecylinder by reversing the valve 50 to open the rear end of the cylinder45 to the exhaust pipe 53 and to connect the pipe 52 leading to the tankto the air supply pipe 5|. The air under pres- Sure in the tank forcesthe water therefrom into the front end of the. cylinder 45 and forcesthe piston 44 rearward. At this time air from the rear end of thecylinder is forced out the exhaust pipe 53. Preferably, the machine isstopped while a new length of stock is being introduced.

In operation, a length of stock is fed into the guide 33 and its frontend engaged behind the end of the previous length of stock when the feedram 43 is retracted. At each stroke of the crank shafts the reducingrolls act upon the stock to reduce it under compression as they moveforward and then they return without doing any appreciable work on thestock. At the rear end of the return stroke the rolls are heldsubstantially vclear of the stock. While the rolls are in this positionthe ram is moved forward by the release of an increment of fluid fromthe feed cylinder 45 by the exhaust valve 56. This intermittent actioncontinues until the feed ram reaches the end of its stroke when it iswithdrawn and a new length of stock is placed in the machine.

By known reducing processes it is' impossible to work strip or sheetmetal stock cold beyond about 35% or 40% reduction without annealing;but by the present process one is enabled to reduce strip and sheetmetal of any known type above 40% and even up to 400% and above toalmost any extent desired without annealing.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described in detail forthe purpose of furnishing a ready understanding of the invention, it isto be understood that various changes and modifications may be madewithin the scope of the invention as expressed in the subjoined claims.

I claim: I

1. Apparatus for reducing metal stock by a series of intermittentreducing actions which work the metal stock in successive increments oflength under rolling compression from a larger section toward a smallersection, comprising in combination, aset of opposedreducing rolls,backing'rolls for said reducing rolls, fixed inclined backing plates forsaid rolls, said rolls being reciprocable relative to said stock, andbacking plates and also'being movable from and toward the axis of thestock as they move along said I backing plates, said backing platesproviding sumcient opening at their more widely spaced from a largersection toward a smaller section, comprising in combination, a set ofopposed re-' ducing'rolls, backing rolls for said reducing rolls,mounting means for said rolls providing advancing and receding movementof the rolls from and toward the longitudinal axis of the stockcoincident with relative longitudinal movement between the rolls andstock, inclined backing plates for said backing rolls, said backingplates and rolls having relative longitudinal movement but said backingplates and stock not having relative longitudinal movement during eachreducing stroke, said backing plates providing sufilcient opening attheir more widely spaced ends-to cause said rolls to release the stock,said stock being fed forward by an increment of length after said rollshave-released it and means for causing'positive rotation of saidreducing rolls during their relative longitudinal movement with respectto the stock.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which said roll rotating meanscomprises gears on said rolls, and racks which have relativelongitudinal movement with respect to said gears.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 which further comprises means timedin action with the operation of said rolls for feeding increments oflength of stock to said rolls for successive action thereon by therolls.H r v 5. Apparatus for reducing metal stock, comprising in combination,a set of reducing rolls for operating upon the stock to reduce it undercompression down a taper in successive relatively short incrementsoflength, backing rolls for said reducing rolls, backing plates for saidbacking rolls, a rigid frame for maintaining said backing plates at apredetermined distance apart; a relatively light mounting device on eachside of the stock for holding a reducing roll and backing roll inposition between the stock and the backing plate, means to reciprocatesaid mounting means and the rolls carried thereby, and meansconstraining the-operative portions of said reducing rolls to move in agiven general path whether the stock is positioned between them or not,said constraining means comprising elements carried by said mountingmeans and cooperating elements on said frame for holding said backingrolls outwardly against the backing plates.

6. Apparatus for reducing metal stock, com- .prising in combination, aset of reducing rolls for operating upon the stock to reduce it undercompression down a taper in successive relatively short increments oflength, backing rolls for said reducing rolls, backing plates for saidbacking rolls, a rigid frame for maintaining said backing plates at apredetermined distance apart, a relatively light mounting device on eachside of the stock for holding a reducing roll and backing roll inposition between the stock andthe backing plate, means to reciprocatesaid mounting means and the rolls carried thereby, and meansconstraining the operative portions of said reducing rolls to move in agiven general path whether the stock is positioned between them or not,said constraining means comprising extensions from certain of said rollson eachside of the stock axis and guide means for said extensionsparallel to the backing plates for holding said backing rolls outwardlyagainst the backing be moved clear of the stock at times, and means forfeeding increments'of stock to said rolls at such'time 8. Apparatus forreducing stock, comprising in combination, a pair of reducing rollsmounted for reciprocation along the stock axis and for transaxialmovement from and toward each other, and means for guiding stock betweenthe rolls, said means comprising members mounted to reciprocate with therolls and trans-axially movable independently of the rolls.

9. Apparatus for reducing stock, comprising in combination,stock'reducing rolls, reciprocating mounting meanstherefor permittingindependent trans-axial movement of the rolls on opposite sides of thestock, and stock guides connected to and movable with the mounting meansso as to travel with the rolls, said guides having transaxial movementindependently of the rolls;

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which said guides comprise aplurality of transverse bars attached to move with said mounting means.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9in which said guides comprise aplurality of bars in the group guided at their ends in slots in a fixedframe, and pivoted links connecting the remote bar of a group to movewith the mounting means, the nearest bar of the group being, moved bycontact with a part of the mounting means.

12. Apparatus for reducing metal stock, com prising in combination,reciprocating means acting intermittently upon the stock to reduce it insuccessive relatively short increments of length, said means movingclear of the stock at one end of its stroke to permit the stock to befed forward, guide means moving with the reducing means and frictionallyengaging the stock, and devices located at a fixed position resilientlyand frictionally engaging the stock to assist in conin combination, aset of. reducing rolls mounted for reciprocation along the axis of thestock which reduce the stock down a taper, means lovcated near the rollsfor guiding stock therebetween, said guide means being reciproca'blewith the rolls, and means for causing said guide means to follow thetaper of the stock.

14. Apparatus for reducing stock, comprising in combination, reducingmeans for reducing the stock in successive relatively short incrementsof length, said reducing means releasing the stock at times, and meansfor feeding the stock when released, said means comprising a ram, apiston and cylinder therefor, there being entrapped fluid at one end 'ofthe cylinder and resilient pressure means at the other end, means forexhausting an increment of fluid from said cylinder for each action ofthe rolls to permit the ram to be moved forward by the resilientpressure means, and means for introducing fluid into the cylinder tomove the ram in the reverse direction and resupplyfluid to the cylinderat the end of the feeding movements. I

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 in 'which said exhausting meanscomprises a cam actuated exhaust valve.

, 16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 in which said exhausting meanscomprises a cam actuated valve for timing the exhaust and means forexhaust.

regulating the amount of the v i JAMES R. COE.

